Don't Forget Your Boots

Nicole Helgason of Ocean Gardener

In this episode of the podcast, I interview Nicole Helgason of Ocean Gardener, who discusses the importance and threats to coral reefs, the state of coral restoration projects, and how she gardens corals to make sure these incredibly bio-diverse locations will be here for decades to come. 

Author Sy Montgomery

"Part Indiana Jones, part Emily Dickinson", Sy has traveled around the world researching and writing stories on conservation and the natural world, including the tree kangaroos of Papua New Guinea, tigers in India, and orangutans in Indonesia.  

We talk much about her book "The Soul of An Octopus", as well as her other books and her writing process, as well as the current state of the environment. 

 

I would put Sy in the category of someone I never thought I'd interview, a staple in conservation writing for decades, and an inspiration to many aspiring conservationists, but she couldn't have been more gracious during the course of our conversation and was an incredible source of information, inspiration, and passion. 

 

Leif Cocks of The Orangutan Project

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Leif Cocks of The Orangutan Project, and we talk about why more often than not highlands are protected for conservation areas and lowlands aren't, how orangutans are driven to extinction and we only have 10 years to protect them, and how people need to have both the heart and compassion as well as the knowledge and intelligence to create real meaningful change. 

As always, please like, rate, and subscribe to the podcast, and to help Leif, head on over to Orangutan.org and see how you can become involved in Leif's incredible work.

Louise de Waal of Blood Lions

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Louise de Waal of the documentary Blood Lions, which exposes the sadistic truth behind caged lions bred for the bullet in South Africa.

 

It's an incredibly compelling conversation about an incredibly compelling documentary, find out more by listening or viewing the links below— 

 

• Blood Lions documentary

• 800 voices

• Take Action For Big Cats

Poachers and COVID: Interview with Yona Katembo

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Yona Katembo, our tour guide when we went to Uganda a few months back. We touch base on how COVID has impacted the tourism industry, the recent poaching of the silverback gorilla Rafiki, and the punishment of his poachers.   

Madeleine and Ben of Bracenet

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Madeleine and Ben of Bracenet, the company that turns destructive ghost nets floating the oceans into fashionable bracelets and apparel. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with these two, the world needs more people like Madeleine and Ben, and on top of that, they frankly couldn't be cooler people. 

 

Site:

https://bracenet.net/

 

Nina Fascione of the International Rhino Foundation

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Nina Fascione of the International Rhino Foundation, and we talk about the differences between the 5 species of rhinos, IRF's reforestation efforts to help save the Sumatran rhino in Indonesia (there are less than 70 left), and how COVID has impacted the efforts to help rhinos. 

 

Helpful Links

• International Rhino Foundation

• International Rhino Foundation YouTube

Rob Whitehair and Alex Finden of Mammalz

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Rob Whitehair and Alex Finden of Mammalz, a user-generated content app that allows anyone to create and upload content, while enabling users to follow and tip content creators who interest them. 

 

To help secure app funding, Mammalz is doing a trip giveaway to one of three locations, including a diving liveaboard in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, a tiger safari in Ranthambhore National Park, India, and an 11-day safari in Botswana, to anyone interested in investing as low as $100. 

 

For every $250k they raise, they will do a random drawing for one of each of the trips. The deadline to invest and be entered into the drawing is July 31, 2020 at 11:59pm EST, more information can be found here: https://wefunder.com/mammalz

 

Finally, there is a lot of great content on the site already, and here are some Mammalz user accounts to take a look at:

 

• Angus Hamilton: @Life_Gone_Wild  https://mammalz.com/profile/391
• Kevin O’Briant: @kmobriant  https://mammalz.com/profile/207
• Sarah Bell: @SarahsGoneWild https://mammalz.com/profile/1048
• Dillon Jones: @DillonTheBiologist https://mammalz.com/profile/91
• Mushroom Larry Evans: @fungaljungal https://mammalz.com/profile/2120
• George Schnipper: @geolms https://mammalz.com/profile/1818
• Natalie Clements: @natalieclements https://mammalz.com/profile/2073
• Bethy Driscoll: @BethyScuba https://mammalz.com/profile/174

Mike Leahy of National Wildlife Federation

In this quick episode of the podcast, I speak with Mike Leahy, the Director of Wildlife, Hunting & Fishing Policy at National Wildlife Federation, just in time for the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works’ July 22 hearing on zoonotic diseases.

 

This critically important, not only given the fact that COVID-19 originated as a wildlife disease, but also given the wide range of other wildlife diseases that could make the leap to humans.

 

Show support and reach out to the senators on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, visit here: https://www.senate.gov/general/committee_membership/committee_memberships_SSEV.htm

 

Help with Recovering America’s Wildlife Act: https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Wildlife-Conservation/Policy/Recovering-Americas-Wildlife-Act

Thai Nguyen of Save Vietnam’s Wildlife

In this episode, I speak with Thai Nguyen, the Executive Director of Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, a non-profit based in Vietnam that focuses on wildlife rescue, veterinary care, and rehabilitation of pangolins and other critically endangered species, and by helping Save Vietnam's Wildlife (https://www.svw.vn/) you can directly protect critically endangered species such as pangolins, otters, leopard cats, and binturong.